bear-notes — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Manages Bear notes on macOS through the grizzly CLI to create notes, search tags, and append text directly from your agent.
npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a claude-codeWhat bear-notes does
The skill connects your agent to the Bear app on macOS using the grizzly CLI. It creates notes with tags, finds entries via open-tag, opens documents by ID, and appends text. Bear returns data in JSON format when running with --enable-callback.
It runs only on macOS. The Bear app must be open and running. You also need the grizzly binary installed from github.com/tylerwince/grizzly/cmd/grizzly@latest. Commands like tags and add-text require an API token from Bear's Help menu, saved to ~/.config/grizzly/token.
This skill suits developers keeping project notes in Bear on Mac. Without the Bear app, it does nothing.
What it helps with
- create tagged notes in Bear from the command line
- append text to an existing Bear note by ID
- find notes by tag using grizzly
- retrieve all Bear tags in JSON format
Example prompts for the agent
- Create a Bear note titled Meeting with the tag work
- Append this log to the Bear note with ID NOTE_ID
- List all tags from Bear in JSON format
How to install bear-notes
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/bear-notes/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/bear-notes/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/bear-notes/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/bear-notes/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install openclaw/openclaw bear-notes2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/bear-notes/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw --path skills/bear-notesManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/bear-notes/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
From the same set45
The whole set →Similar
Questions about bear-notes
How do I install bear-notes in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add openclaw/openclaw --skill bear-notes -a claude-code in your terminal. You will also need to install the grizzly binary via Go.
What does bear-notes do?
It uses the grizzly CLI to create, read, search, and update notes inside the Bear app on macOS.
Why do I need a Bear API token and where is it stored?
A token is required for operations such as add-text and reading tags. Copy it from Bear under Help -> API Token, then save it to ~/.config/grizzly/token.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
---
name: bear-notes
description: "Create, search, and manage Bear notes via grizzly CLI."
homepage: https://bear.app
metadata:
{
"openclaw":
{
"emoji": "🐻",
"os": ["darwin"],
"requires": { "bins": ["grizzly"] },
"install":
[
{
"id": "go",
"kind": "go",
"module": "github.com/tylerwince/grizzly/cmd/grizzly@latest",
"bins": ["grizzly"],
"label": "Install grizzly (go)",
},
],
},
}
---
# Bear Notes
Use `grizzly` to create, read, and manage notes in Bear on macOS.
Requirements
- Bear app installed and running
- For some operations (add-text, tags, open-note --selected), a Bear app token (stored in `~/.config/grizzly/token`)
## Getting a Bear Token
For operations that require a token (add-text, tags, open-note --selected), you need an authentication token:
1. Open Bear -> Help -> API Token -> Copy Token
2. Save it: `echo "YOUR_TOKEN" > ~/.config/grizzly/token`
## Common Commands
Create a note
```bash
echo "Note content here" | grizzly create --title "My Note" --tag work
grizzly create --title "Quick Note" --tag inbox < /dev/null
```
Open/read a note by ID
```bash
grizzly open-note --id "NOTE_ID" --enable-callback --json
```
Append text to a note
```bash
echo "Additional content" | grizzly add-text --id "NOTE_ID" --mode append --token-file ~/.config/grizzly/token
```
List all tags
```bash
grizzly tags --enable-callback --json --token-file ~/.config/grizzly/token
```
Search notes (via open-tag)
```bash
grizzly open-tag --name "work" --enable-callback --json
```
## Options
Common flags:
- `--dry-run` - Preview the URL without executing
- `--print-url` - Show the x-callback-url
- `--enable-callback` - Wait for Bear's response (needed for reading data)
- `--json` - Output as JSON (when using callbacks)
- `--token-file PATH` - Path to Bear API token file
## Configuration
Grizzly reads config from (in priority order):
1. CLI flags
2. Environment variables (`GRIZZLY_TOKEN_FILE`, `GRIZZLY_CALLBACK_URL`, `GRIZZLY_TIMEOUT`)
3. `.grizzly.toml` in current directory
4. `~/.config/grizzly/config.toml`
Example `~/.config/grizzly/config.toml`:
```toml
token_file = "~/.config/grizzly/token"
callback_url = "http://127.0.0.1:42123/success"
timeout = "5s"
```
## Notes
- Bear must be running for commands to work
- Note IDs are Bear's internal identifiers (visible in note info or via callbacks)
- Use `--enable-callback` when you need to read data back from Bear
- Some operations require a valid token (add-text, tags, open-note --selected)
© openclaw · MIT · openclaw/openclaw